CEDIA 2013

Focal has a whole new line of loudspeakers slotting in just below the company's Electra range. The Aria series' signature feature is the use of cones consisting of a layer of flax sandwiched between layers of fiberglass. The result is said to produce a diaphragm that's stiff, light, and less time consuming to produce than the layered cones used in Focal's more pricey designs. There are currently five models in the range, shown here with the flagship 948 ($5000/pair) in front. The Aria CC 900 center is not shown, but somewhat disappointingly it's a conventional two-way woofer-tweeter-woofer design and not a 3-way with a centered, vertically-arrayed midrange and tweeter.

Morris Kessler knows his way around an amplifier. His name may be a little less well known to audiophiles than Dan D'Agostino, Nelson Pass, and John Curl, but he has been quietly designing great amplifiers for many companies at least as long as any of them--and longer than some. His current company is ATI, well known for producing solid-performing, high-value audiophile amps. This is his signature design, the first to feature his name on the front panel. Available from 2-channels at $4000 and $8000 for 7 channels, it sports 400 W continuous into 8 ohms and, in 7-channel form, weighs in at 143 lbs! It should be available in January.

Epson offered impressive demos of its PowerLite Pro Cinema 4030 ($2499) and 6030 ($3499) projectors, the former in 3D, the latter in 2D. Each of these models come with 3 year parts and labor warranty (90 days on the lamp), a spare lamp, and a ceiling mount. Both are finished in black and are available only through "CEDIA" channels--that is, to the custom installer. But the on-line or conventional shopper can get the same performance as the 6030 with the new PowerLite Pro Cinema 5030 (shown here) at $2600 (a wireless version is available at $2900).

Proving the you’re never too far away from home to be in control, the Z-Wave Alliance sponsored a Himalayan expedition where climber Mariusz Malkowski went to the top of Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world. When Malkowski reached the 29,609 foot summit, he Skype’d in live to the Expo show floor on a satellite phone. Malkowski said it was midnight his time with local temps at minus 40-degrees! Using his satellite phone, he was able to check the status of several Z-Wave devices, and after speaking to the assembled crowd for a moment, he then unlocked a Kwikset Z-Wave enabled door lock, and turned on Fibaro Z-Wave enabled lights and then adjusted his Remotec Z-Wave thermostat. Definite proof that you are never too far away from home for technology to keep you in touch!

The ReQuest media server and media player system has added a new 3D media player and has improved it web-based controller for easier discovery and playback of movies.

I have two problems with my Internet connection. First, I have to get Internet access at my home through satellite, and the inherent latency issues are sometimes a problem. As bad as the first – or even worse – is that the AC power coming into my house fluctuates quite a bit. So gadgets and devices with microprocessors tend to get confused and irritable, and I wind up having to reboot or restart said devices often enough that it makes me confused and irritable.

Autonomic announced at CEDIA 2013 that its Mirage whole-house distributed audio system is now compatible with SiriusXM Radio 2.0, Slacker Radio, and Gracenote and supports remote diagnostics for troubleshooting via the Internet. The system comprises Mirage Media Servers with a choice of two digital amplifiers, two in-wall control options, and mix and match applications for iOS and Android devices.

The company has also enhanced the user experience by blending control across multiple rooms with music browsing. When a song is heard on Sirius XM, the TuneBridge feature allows listeners to jump to the entire album on Rhapsody or create a new Pandora station. Pricing for four- and eight-zone versions of the system is $4,945 and $8,350, respectively.